WASHINGTON: US lawmakers laid out a $3.5 trillion budget framework, calling it the “most consequential” social spending plan since the 1930s, and launching what are expected to be tough congressional negotiations over the programs it covers. 

SEOUL: The jailed de facto leader of the giant Samsung group will be released early on parole this week, South Korea’s justice ministry said yesterday, easing concerns over a possible leadership vacuum at the conglomerate. 

RIYADH: Energy giant Saudi Aramco’s second quarter profits for 2021 have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels due to higher oil prices, nearly quadrupling compared to the same period last year. The company’s success comes after its debts climbed last year, when Saudi Arabia was hammered by the double whammy of low prices and sharp cuts in production triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

BEIJING: China’s exports remained robust in July despite losing some steam, customs data showed Saturday, with analysts noting a rebound in port activity but warning that the recent spread of the Delta variant could act as a drag on growth.

WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden will set a target that half of all cars sold in the United States by 2030 will be zero-emission vehicles, the White House announced. 

PARIS: The $29-billion takeover of Australia’s “buy now, pay later” app Afterpay by US firm Square has thrown a spotlight on a sector that is growing rapidly and grabbing the attention of regulators. 

KUWAIT: Some 91.1 percent of the people in Kuwait who died from COVID-19 in July were not vaccinated, Kuwait health ministry spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said on Wednesday. 

HAMBURG: Sales of new cars in Germany were down significantly in July compared to the same month last year, official data showed yesterday. A total of 236,393 new cars were registered last month in Europe’s largest car market — 25 percent fewer than during the same month last year, the KBA transport authority said. 

AUGSBURG: Car-manufacturing powerhouse Germany is rushing to join the private sector space race as it looks to ride a boom in mini-launchers for small satellites and compete with major US firms such as SpaceX.